The Presence of Love

(*Not final*)Romantic literature professor, Jocelyn Lambert (nickname "Joss") has, over the years, let practicality and fear of the unknown rule her life, saving risk and adventure for the heroines in her books. Just before her 33rd birthday, Joss receives a surprise gift from her mom's estate/trust-- a 10-day trip to England over her birthday to discover her roots-a trip her mom always wanted them to go on, but never got the chance to take. In the midst of and struggling with a "publish or perish" deadline, an anxiety prone Joss goes on the journey, hoping it will inspire her. Arriving at the Cornish farmhouse her grandparents used to own (now an Air BnB), Joss meets DANIEL, a single dad who now runs the family farm despite his strained relationship with his strong-willed mother. Amid family tension over whether they should lease a portion of their sheep farm to a wind turbine company, Joss tries to write, but is blocked until she bonds with Daniel's daughter TEAGAN (7). Teagan is suffering from undiagnosed dyslexia. As Joss helps Teagan, ignoring her own deadline, a touched Daniel insists she get out, and really see the countryside for inspiration. Together, they explore the magic of Cornwall-which turns even more magical when Joss finds letters that her mom wrote to her grandparents, along with a worn addition of Coleridge's poems- "The Presences of Love" marked up, clearly beloved. These letters and book-- a link to the past-- help Joss realize how precious a gift time is. As this journey of self-discovery comes to an end, family bonds strengthened, both have to decide how to live their truest life- a life that might just include a romantic kind of love they never expected. As Coleridge's poem suggests, in the "noisiest hour" of life, you can't help but see true love.